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    Home » Recipes » Loaf Cakes

    Published on May 15, 2021. Modified on May 26, 2025 by bakingqueen74. This post may contain affiliate links. 3 Comments

    Rhubarb Loaf Cake

    75 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    This rhubarb loaf cake makes rhubarb the star of the show. You’ll use three whole stalks (medium-sized) of rhubarb in this cake, making each slice full of sticky rhubarb goodness.

    If you are lucky enough to have rhubarb growing in your garden then no doubt you are often faced with a glut of rhubarb.

    Rhubarb crumble and rhubarb jam are some very tasty ways to use your rhubarb but if you want something different for a change then this rhubarb loaf cake is a great option to try.

    Sliced loaf cake on a wooden board.

    Loaf cakes are a very simple cake to make for everyday, this one doesn’t need any decoration, the pieces of rhubarb pressed into the top of the cake mixture before baking are all that is needed.

    If you have a large loaf tin that you use to make bread in, the two pound (900 g) size, then you are sorted.

    Rhubarb quick bread or loaf cake on a wooden board. Sticks of fresh rhubarb to the right.

    Whether you want to serve it cold with a cup of tea, or warm with custard, cream or ice cream as if it was a rhubarb crumble in cake form, you’ll love this cake since the main flavour in it is delicious rhubarb. I love rhubarb and I like to use it in lots of different bakes.

    Jump to:
    • Roasted rhubarb
    • Technique
    • Ingredients
    • Step by step
    • Variations
    • If you like this
    • Recipe
    • Reviews

    Roasted rhubarb

    To make this cake you will first briefly roast the rhubarb with a little brown sugar in a dish in the oven, then leave it to cool.

    This softens the rhubarb without it completely going soft and soggy and disintegrating as it does when you make stewed rhubarb or cook it in crumble.

    The soft pieces of rhubarb still retain their shape inside the cake. I like to precook rhubarb in this way to include in cakes as it makes it sweeter and softer as well as letting you make your rhubarb pieces bigger!

    Close up of a fruit filled loaf cake on a wooden board.

    Technique

    This loaf cake uses the rubbing in method. This is the method you will probably be familiar with for making scones, crumble toppings and pastry.

    In cakes this method is not often seen but it is sometimes used for tea loaf or fruit cakes, as it produces a moist cake with a soft sometimes crumbly texture.

    This means you don’t need to use a mixer to make the cake, so preparing the cake mixture is really quick as it is all done by hand.

    You simply rub the cold butter into the flour and sugar by hand until it has the texture of fine breadcrumbs, then add the eggs, flavourings and fruit. So simple!

    A loaf cake on a wooden board with pieces of rhubarb in the background.

    Ingredients

    Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for this recipe – use this as a list for shopping or for gathering together the ingredients in your kitchen. Check the recipe card at the end of the post for the quantities.

    • self-raising flour
    • light brown sugar
    • unsalted butter – straight from the fridge
    • rhubarb
    • medium free-range eggs
    • vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract – enhances the sweetness of the rhubarb
    • ground ginger – a touch of ginger complements the rhubarb flavour nicely.

    Step by step

    Here’s how to make this recipe step by step.

    Rhubarb pieces in a ceramic blue dish.

    First wash the rhubarb and slice it into pieces 1-2 cm long. Put the rhubarb in a baking pan with 1.5 tablespoons of light brown sugar.

    Cooked rhubarb in a baking dish.

    Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for approx. 20 minutes, until slightly soft. Allow to cool for ten minutes or so, then prepare the cake mixture.

    Cake mixture in white mixing bowl.

    Preheat the oven to 180°C to bake the cake. Weigh out the self-raising flour, butter, and light brown sugar and transfer them to a mixing bowl. Rub the ingredients together with your fingers until it forms the texture of fine breadcrumbs.

    Cake mixture in bowl with rhubarb pieces.

    Add 2 medium free-range eggs, the vanilla bean paste or extract and the ground ginger to the mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon until well combined. Add most of the cooked rhubarb pieces to the bowl and mix in gently. Reserve some to put on top.

    Loaf tin containing cake mixture topped with rhubarb pieces.

    Grease and line a 2 lb (900 g) loaf tin. Spoon the cake mixture into the lined tin. Put the reserved rhubarb on top and push it into the cake batter gently.

    Baked rhubarb cake in loaf tin, before removing from tin to cool.

    Bake for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes or until a skewer or cake tester comes out clean from the centre. Cover the cake with foil from around 40 minutes to stop the top of the cake and the rhubarb pieces on top browning too much. Remove the tin from the oven once fully cooked and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Remove the cake from the tin using the lining paper and leave it to cool fully on a cooling rack.

    Delicious cold with a cup of tea or warm with custard!

    Overhead view of loaf cake with 2 slices cut out, with rhubarb stalks beside it, on a wooden board.

    Variations

    • You can vary this recipe according to the fruit you have available, for example you could swap the rhubarb and ground ginger for apple and cinnamon.
    • Add a crumble topping by mixing brown sugar and cinnamon, then stirring in melted butter, and finally stirring in flour until it forms a crumble texture, then sprinkling on top before baking for a rhubarb crumble loaf cake.
    • Mix together demerara sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it on top before baking for a crunchy sugar topping.

    If you like this

    You might also like:

    • rhubarb scones
    • rhubarb flapjacks
    • rhubarb and vanilla cake with buttermilk
    • rhubarb sponge pudding
    • rhubarb frangipane tart from Lost in Food

    Recipe

    Sliced loaf cake with rhubarb inside, on a wooden board.

    Rhubarb Loaf Cake

    A rhubarb loaf cake (quick bread) recipe which makes roasted rhubarb the star of the show, with a touch of vanilla and ginger.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Course: Baking
    Cuisine: British
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 311kcal
    Author: Lucy Allen | BakingQueen74

    Ingredients

    • 330 g rhubarb 3 medium stalks
    • 1.5 tbsp light brown sugar
    • 250 g self-raising flour
    • 175 g butter I prefer unsalted, softened
    • 175 g light brown sugar
    • 2 medium free-range egg
    • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
    • 1 tsp ground ginger
    UK Measurements – US Measurements

    Equipment

    mixing bowl
    mixing bowl
    2lb loaf tin
    2lb loaf tin

    Video

    Instructions 

    • Wash the rhubarb and slice it into pieces 1-2 cm long.
    • Put the rhubarb in a baking pan with 1.5 tablespoons of light brown sugar, cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for approx. 20 minutes, until slightly soft. Allow to cool for ten minutes or so, then prepare the cake mixture.
    • Preheat the oven to 180°C to bake the cake.
    • Weigh out 250 g self-raising flour, 175 g of cold butter, and 175 g of light brown sugar and tranafer them to a mixing bowl. Rub the ingredients together with your fingers until it forms the texture of fine breadcrumbs.
    • Add 2 medium free-range eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or extract, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger to the mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon until well combined.
    • Add most of the cooked rhubarb pieces to the bowl and mix in gently. Reserve some to put on top.
    • Grease and line a 2 lb (900 g) loaf tin. Spoon the cake mixture into the lined tin. Put the reserved rhubarb on top and push it into the cake batter gently.
    • Bake for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes or until a skewer or cake tester comes out clean from the centre. Cover the cake with foil from 40 minutes to stop the top of the cake and the rhubarb pieces on top browning too much.
    • Remove the tin from the oven once fully cooked and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Remove the cake from the tin using the lining paper and leave it to cool fully.
    • Delicious cold with a cup of tea or warm with custard!

    Notes

    • You can vary this recipe according to the fruit you have available, for example you could swap the rhubarb and ground ginger for apple and cinnamon.
    • Add a crumble topping by mixing brown sugar and cinnamon, then stirring in melted butter, and finally stirring in flour until it forms a crumble texture, then sprinkling on top before baking for a rhubarb crumble loaf cake.
    • Mix together demerara sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it on top before baking for a crunchy sugar topping.
    Did you try and love this recipe?Then please leave a star rating and comment below to let me know how you got on!

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      Chocolate Loaf Cake with Maltesers
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      Redcurrant Yoghurt Loaf Cake

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sharon says

      August 28, 2024 at 8:58 am

      Love this recipe, I use it regularly during rhubarb season. I use less rhubarb. I’m a lazy cook and can’t wait for roasting so use it raw, slightly smaller chunks, tossed in a little sugar. Takes around 50/55 mins. I serve with crème fraiche, or as a pud with custard.

      Reply
      • bakingqueen74 says

        August 28, 2024 at 12:49 pm

        Thanks for your review and your tip on saving time Sharon! I like the easier way you suggested.

        Reply
    2. Ruth says

      April 22, 2023 at 7:51 pm

      Unfortunately my rhubarb all went to mush, still stirred it through. The cake is lovely, really soft. For me the flavours were really mild, possibly because i didnt have chunks of rhubarb Still a hit. Defo going to try again, and will probably double the ginger to suit my taste.
      Also it only took about 45 mins to cook in my oven on 180°c
      Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Lucy! I'm a slow cooker addict, food blogger and also a busy working mum of two. I hope you'll enjoy the recipes I create and post which are perfect for busy families.

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